Top 9 Diss Tracks of All-Time

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Dissecting some of the best battle raps.

By Alfred H. Leonard, III

Hip-Hop is a lot like hockey. The purists of the sport love to see the skilled skaters handle the puck with ease and make unbelievable goals; and in rap, the purists love the intricate wordplay and jaw-dropping punchlines.

But when it comes to casual fans, everyone just waits for the conflict. In hockey you cross your fingers and hope that a fight breaks out at center ice, and in hip-hop you're always listening out for subliminal jabs that hint at a potential heavyweight war in the near future.

So while we here at IGN love the lyrical showcases, nothing gets us amped like no punches pulled rap battle. With that said, here are our top 9 diss tracks of all-time.

As always, feel free to include your own favorite diss tracks in the comments field.

Any diss track that ends another rapper's career should automatically make a "best of" list. T.I. makes short work of his Houston, Texas nemesis here as he calls into question the street credibility that Flip claims on his songs. Tip combines threats of violence with embarrassing reflections on Flip's past to create a flawless diss record over Jay-Z's "99 Problems" instrumental. Ironically, the 90 seconds of trash talk T.I. does at the end of the song is just as (or more) damaging than the two rapped verses in the song.

Knockout blow: "Tip will be the reason for the saddest day your mama seen/ when I let this K slay a ni**a like the drama king…"

Another career bites the dust here. Ja Rule once ruled the game with his love ballads to the ladies, but when 50 came out and began to enchant the rap game with his street lyrics and tales of violence, Ja's flame began to flicker. 50 extinguished it completely with "Back Down" from his debut LP. What's funny about this song is Ja Rule is the veteran in the battle, but 50 is so convincing at talking down to his rival, it comes off like Ja is the rookie. Now that 50's popularity has taken a hit, this would be a perfect opportunity for Ja to scale a comeback. Unfortunately for him, this song may have dug him a grave too deep to climb out of.

Knockout blow: "I'm back in the game shawty to rule and conquer/ you sing for h*'s and sound like the Cookie Monster…"